


Wonder What's Inside

by Seito



Series: Wonder [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Advent Calendar, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-04 08:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 17,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5327048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seito/pseuds/Seito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Really been there all the time. Wonder if it’s wonder in my heart. </i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Tsuna had a bad habit of bringing home strays. What else could Reborn do but sigh when Tsuna showed up with a small blond child? R27</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1: Child in the Alleyway

**Author's Note:**

> **Triggers/Warning:** Later chapters will contain some mention of child abuse.
> 
> Every year, I try to write 25 drabbles, one for each day counting down to Christmas. This year's fandom is KHR. This means **you are getting a new chapter everyday.** Yes everyday. Unless something happens out of my control (like real life rearing its ugly head). The length will vary, some will be short, some will be long. I may not respond to your reviews because trying write the next day chapter. D: I'm sorry!
> 
> If you wish to join in on the fun, here's the [list](http://seitosokusha.tumblr.com/post/134273957193/advent-calendar-prompt-list-2015).
> 
> No... of course not. I did not name this story after this year's oreo commercial.

1\. Holding Hands

_Wonder if what's inside, really been there all the time._

_Wonder if it's wonder in my heart._

-What's Insides in the Holidays

Snow was falling over Namimori, blanketing the small town in white. A chilly breeze blew, rattling the empty tree branches and sweeping across the snow. In the distance a storm rumbled, still far away, but approaching slowly. The sun hung low in the sky, creeping towards the horizon; just starting to paint the reds, yellows and oranges across the heavens.

Despite the chill, Tsuna couldn't be warmer.

Tsuna intertwined his hand with Reborn's, basking in the quiet moment. It wasn't often he could convince Reborn to go on a short walk with him around the neighborhood. When it got this cold out, his husband would much rather spend his time indoors instead of out in the freezing cold.

Reborn huffed, exasperated, but otherwise didn't say anything. He merely squeezed Tsuna's hand as they continued their walk around the town.

Just as they passed an alleyway, Tsuna's intuition kicked up. That faint tug, drawing his attention back towards the alleyway. Tsuna stopped, letting his hand slip away from Reborn's.

"Tsuna?" Reborn called out, as soon as he realized that Tsuna had stopped.

Ignoring his husband, Tsuna headed into the alleyway. There, hidden among the empty cardboard boxes and trash bags was a small tiny blond haired boy. The boy shivered in the cold, curled up as tight as a ball.

"Hello," Tsuna said softly. The boy jerked his head upwards, startled. He inched away from Tsuna, terrified.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Tsuna said gently. He held out his hand and remained as unthreatening as he could. "My name is Tsuna. Who are you?"

The boy shivered. He was a tiny thing; barely four or five if Tsuna had to guess. Tsuna felt Reborn's presence the opening of the alleyway, waiting patiently.

"Giotto," the boy said after a beat of silence.

Tsuna smiled, warm and fond. "Hello Giotto-kun. It must be cold out here. Why aren't you home?"

Giotto looked at him, eyes full of distrust. "Don't have one," Giotto said.

Heart aching at those words, Tsuna stretched out his hand further. "Do you want to come home with me? It'll be warm at least. I promise I won't hurt you."

Silence loomed for one brief moment. Then Giotto closed his eyes, tired and cold. He reached out to grasp Tsuna's hand.

"Okay."


	2. Strays

23\. Tease

It was only after they got back home, Giotto tucked into their guest bed, that Reborn turned to look at Tsuna. He didn't even say anything, just quirked an eyebrow upward.

Tsuna, predictably, blushed a bright red. "I couldn't just leave him there!" he protested.

"You have a bad habit of bringing home strays," Reborn said dryly. Cats, dogs, the occasional bird. This was not even the first time a person had been brought home by Tsuna. Hayato was a prime example of that.

Tsuna scowled. Reborn always made fun of his mother henning habits, but if it wasn't for said habits... "If I didn't bring home strays I would have never met you."

They both paused, remembering that snowy afternoon all those years ago, tainted with blood.

"Fine," Reborn said.

Tsuna lit up. "He can stay?"

Reborn waved his hand dismissively. "It's not like we can throw him back out into the cold. We'll take him to your Skylark tomorrow, assuming the storm isn't too bad."

"Kyoya probably knows who he really is," Tsuna said, nodding in agreement. He wrapped his arms around Reborn, tiptoeing to press a light kiss on Reborn's lips. "Thank you, Reborn."

Reborn merely sighed, trying to hide his smile. "I'm going to regret this later."


	3. Unfamiliar Place

7\. Pillow/Bed

Giotto woke up to the feeling that he was sleeping on clouds. It was so soft and comfortable. He was warm in a way he hadn't been in months, since the end of summer. That couldn't be right. It was winter right now. It should be cold and freezing.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. He was inside? Giotto sat up, letting the soft blue duvet fall off of him. His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. When had he gotten inside a house and more importantly, where was he?

"Oh, you're awake."

Giotto snapped his head toward the door, panic creeping into his heart. Standing in the doorway was a stranger with fluffy brown hair. "How are you feeling?" the stranger asked.

Giotto remained silent, wary of the newest presence. However, a small voice whispered in his head that there was no danger here.

Undeterred, the stranger continued, "I'm not sure how much you remember about yesterday, but I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Call me Tsuna. I brought you to my home after I found you in the alleyway yesterday. It's nice to meet you, Giotto-kun."

Ah! Giotto remembered now. The first person who offered their hand out to Giotto. That had been surprising. Giotto could never remember people doing that before. They often just threw stuff at him, chasing him away from their presence.

"Are you hungry?" Tsuna asked.

Right on cue, Giotto's stomach growled. Sheepish, Giotto looked at Tsuna.

"Sounds like you are," Tsuna said with a smile. "C'mon, I'll make you some onigiri. It's just about time for lunch." He held his hand out towards Giotto.

Hesitating for only a moment, Giotto grasped Tsuna's hand. "Why?" he asked, curious. Why was Tsuna being so nice to him? Usually adults just threw things at him and told him to go away. That Giotto was useless and unwanted and didn't deserve to be alive.

Tsuna looked at Giotto. Giotto felt his heart constrict tighter. It was such a warm and fond look that Tsuna was giving him.

"Because I want to."


	4. Blizzard

2\. Yogurt

Giotto was on his last bite of onigiri when another person arrived. He stared wide eyed at the dark, _dangerous_ , man that had appeared. It was the kind of person that Giotto took extra care to avoid on the street. Every instinct Giotto had said to run and get as far away as possible. He shivered and slouched down, trying to make himself even smaller.

"Reborn!" Tsuna greeted.

"I got the yogurt," Reborn said, dusting off the last of the snow from his fedora and dumping the extra bags of groceries into Tsuna's hands and Tsuna's feet.

Tsuna frowned. "You got more than just the yogurt. There's enough food in here to last us the rest of the month." Most were canned food or instant ramen, but there was plenty of meat, and fresh vegetables as well. Even bottles of water. "How did you even carry all of this?"

"Overheard in the store that the storm took a turn for the worse. It's now a full blown blizzard," Reborn said. "We're going to get snowed in for at least a couple days. They suggested stocking up on any last minute supplies and hope for the best."

Reborn glanced over to Giotto. "Which means the brat is stuck with us until the blizzard blows over."

"Reborn!"

Giotto ducked his head, cheeks flushed that he had been caught listening into the conversation. "I can go," he said quietly. It would be hard if it was a really bad storm but Giotto could find somewhere to ride it out.

"No," Tsuna said, voice firm. "You will freeze out there, Giotto-kun. You'll be staying here with us. Don't let Reborn scare you, Giotto-kun. He's a big softie underneath."

"There's still time to take him to the police station," Reborn said dryly.

Giotto hunched his shoulders at Reborn's words. _'Why did Tsuna-san have to know such a scary and mean person?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna, Reborn, and Giotto stuck in one house. What could possibly go wrong? Ahaha.


	5. Cartoon Bonding

13\. Duck

Just as Reborn had said, the blizzard rolled in. It was snowing so heavily that when Giotto peeked out of the window, he could only see white. Privately, the small boy was very happy that Tsuna was letting him stay. Giotto was under no illusion that he would have not survived this storm.

Eyes darting around the room, Giotto took the time to look at his surroundings. It was a nice house, much bigger than the old one that Giotto use to live in. Tsuna-san was in the kitchen, cleaning. Reborn was in the living room flipping through the tv channels.

Giotto peered over the couch, standing on his very tippy toes. There on the tv was an anime with some girls fighting a strange monster. Just as one of the girls shouted, "In the name of the moon I will punish you!", Reborn turned to look at Giotto.

Giotto ducked behind the couch. He covered his head with his arms, protecting it incase Reborn decided to hit him.

Nothing happened. That was a surprise.

Taking a chance, Giotto peeked back over the couch once more, still curious about the show and ducked once more as soon as Reborn began to turn his head. He heard Reborn scoff before suddenly Giotto was lifted into the air.

"Wah!" Giotto cried out.

"If you're going to watch," Reborn said darkly, dropping the small boy on the couch. "Sit down and do so."

"I'm sorry," Giotto said, eyes wide. He inched away, which in turn caused Reborn to scowl harder. "Please don't hurt me."

The irritation in Reborn's black eyes faded away and he sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you. Hurting you will make Tsuna upset and my current goal in life is not to make Tsuna upset. I am not a nice person and will admit I'm not very fond of you. Now are you going to sit and watch TV or do you want to go into the kitchen with Tsuna?"

Giotto stared at Reborn. _'He's… not going to hurt me?'_ Giotto thought. That was a novel experience. But Giotto couldn't find any lie in Reborn's words. So… Reborn wasn't a nice person exactly, but he wasn't going to hurt Giotto, which made him a nice person in Giotto's book. His head throbbed just thinking about it.

"Watch tv?" Giotto timidly asked, unsure. He did want to see what the show was about. It was easier than trying to figure out Reborn.

Reborn nodded and dropped a fluffy throw blanket around Giotto. "Good. Now be quiet. They're playing a Sailor Moon marathon today."

"Sailor Moon?"

"Watch and be amazed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reborn and Giotto bonding over magical girls anime. Reborn is totally anime trash. Comments are loved~


	6. Anime Trash

17\. Iron

Tsuna turned off the iron and collapsed the ironing board. After he had finished cleaning the kitchen, he had gone on to finish ironing the clothes. Namely, Reborn's suits. Honestly, Tsuna didn't understand why his husband insisted on wearing them. "Though, it does add to his appeal," Tsuna mused to himself.

"Now, what have Reborn and Giotto-kun been up to?" Tsuna asked, stepping out of the bedroom. Outside of that first yelp from Giotto, the living room had remained well… mostly quiet. No yelling, shouting or breaking of objects. That was a good thing.

Tsuna peeked in the living room. Still sitting on the couch, were Reborn and Giotto, animatedly chatting. Tsuna froze as he realized what exactly they were talking about.

"Wait, what happens next?" Giotto asked. "What happens to Chibiusa? If there's a Sailor Pluto, does that mean there are other scouts for the planets?"

"Hush," Reborn said, tugging at Giotto's blond hair. "I told you. It's a marathon. Your questions will be answered."

"Does Tuxedo Mask even do anything important?" Giotto asked, rubbing the spot that Reborn had just tugged on.

"No," Reborn said. "He's there to look pretty, give pep talks and be the dude in distress that Sailor Moon has to rescue all the time."

Tsuna made a quiet distressed noise. Oh no, Reborn had corrupted poor Giotto while Tsuna hadn't been looking.

Reborn have Giotto a quick look over. "Actually, you would be the perfect size for a Chibiusa cosplay."

Abort! Abort!

"So who wants to help me make dinner?" Tsuna cut in. Reborn's cosplay… obsession was something Tsuna tried very hard to avoid.

To Tsuna's dismay, both Giotto and Reborn looked at each other, before looking back at the tv. "I'm sure Giotto wants to see the next episode," Reborn drawled. "Why not make cup of noodle tonight? Just hot water."

Lies! Reborn wanted to watch just as much as Giotto did!

"Please?" Giotto asked.

Tsuna felt himself waver. There was no escape. They were going to watch the rest of this marathon, whether Tsuna did anything or not. If Tsuna cooked dinner, by himself, he would get out of a few more episodes….

"Tsuna," Reborn purred.

Darn that voice! Tsuna instantly caved. "Fine," Tsuna said, resigned. "I'll go boil the water."

Later, after the water was boiled and Tsuna was holding his cup of instant ramen in hand, he would lean over to Reborn and ask, "Why shoujos? Why magical girl shoujos? If you were going to corrupt him into anime, why not something like Naruto?" Tsuna liked Naruto. Ninjas were cool and the fights were pretty awesome. Plus Naruto reminded him a bit of his childhood days.

"Naruto is a terrible anime," Reborn retorted. "What's wrong with the pretty soldiers of love and justice?"

Tsuna made a strangled noise. There was no point in fighting it. "Nothing."

Reborn quirked an eyebrow at him and turned his attention back to the tv. "Then hush. The best part is coming up. I want to see the brat's reaction."

Tsuna looked at the episode and where Giotto was sitting, eyes glued to the tv. Oh no. "Isn't the episode where Sailor Pluto-"

"Yes. Now shut up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -whines- Feels like I've been run over by a bus. Being sick and having your period at the same time majorly sucks. -just wants to sleep more- OTL -needs to write the next chapter-
> 
> In case it's not clear, they're watching the end of the Sailor Moon R (Black Moon) arc. Of course Reborn is also a cosplay addict and Giotto will probably end up in a Chibiusa costume one day whether he wants to or not. (But at this rate he probably would love the idea).


	7. Oddities

4\. Kiss

Tsuna pressed a small kiss on Giotto's forehead, brushing the soft golden bangs aside. The small boy had worn himself out emotionally with Sailor Pluto's death (and Reborn stubbornly refusing to tell him that PLUTO GETS BETTER. Sorta. As better as one could with time travel, magical girls and anime. Reborn also wouldn't let Tsuna tell Giotto either.)

Tsuna coaxed Giotto into a quick shower and brushing of teeth before ushering him into bed where Giotto promptly fell asleep. Tucking the blanket tight around the boy, Tsuna crept out of the room, switching off the light.

He traveled down the hall, into the master bedroom that Reborn and he shared. Reborn was already under the covers, reading of his manga novels (more Sailor Moon it looked like). Tsuna crawled into bed, wrapping his arm around Reborn's torso.

Dumping his manga to the side table, Reborn pressed a kiss to Tsuna's forehead, mimicking Tsuna's earlier action to Giotto. "Brat asleep?" Reborn asked.

"Yes," Tsuna said with a heavy sigh. "What did you notice?"

"He was abused," Reborn said without preamble. "He thought I was going to hurt him. It might be the malnutrition he is suffering, but he's rather small. So either he's about the age you predict him to be or has been on the streets for a long time."

Here, Reborn paused, thoughtful for a moment. "He does not act like a five year old. He understood the implications of Pluto's death, the very concept of death, something kids his age is just starting to understand. Not only that, his questions about the show were thoughtful and insightful, something an older fan would ask about. He didn't accept anything at face value. Kids his age shouldn't recognize that Tuxedo Mask doesn't really anything in the episodes, but he does."

"So he's a genius?" Tsuna asked.

"Could be, or his circumstances forced him to grow up much faster. Or both," Reborn asked.

"He reminds me of Fuuta and I-pin," Tsuna said quietly.

Fuuta was one of Tsuna's foster siblings. Nana (whom Tsuna had inherited his habit of taking in strays) had taken in Fuuta one day, a tale of abuse and kidnapping and manipulation. It was honestly remarkable that Fuuta could smile at the end of the day. But the life of trauma had left Fuuta remarkably polite out of fear of offending the wrong person, afraid of violence and a questionable self worth. He had eventually overcome it, but Tsuna still remembered the days where he would find Fuuta outside of his bedroom door, too terrified of the nightmare he had but unable to ask for comfort.

I-pin was Tsuna's only foster sister. Fon, Kyoya's uncle and Reborn's friend, had come in the late of night to Tsuna's doorstep. Hidden in his sleeves was a small Chinese girl. The Triad had been raising her as a child soldier, an assassin. She didn't want that. Fon couldn't turn her away, but couldn't raise her either. So to the Sawada household, he turned to.

"At least he doesn't act like the cow idiot," Reborn muttered darkly.

The cow idiot would be Lambo, Tsuna's last foster sibling. Lambo didn't suffer abuse, just neglect and finally had been abandoned. In turn, he lashed out, in a permanent tantrum for many years.

Tsuna's childhood had been interesting so to say. He wouldn't trade his siblings for the world though.

"Reborn," Tsuna chided. For whatever reason, Reborn adored every one of Tsuna's family except for his father (whom Tsuna was not very fond of either) and Lambo (whom Tsuna did love but understood that Lambo was not the easier person to be around).

"The brat's eyes glow orange," Reborn said.

"I noticed," Tsuna said softly. He clenched his fist tightly. Giotto's eyes, a blue shade normally, flashed orange when Tsuna had approached him in the alleyway, when he first woke up this morning and again the first time Giotto had met Reborn properly. There were probably a few more times it happened.

Reborn pressed a light kiss to Tsuna's lips, soothing him.

"Hyper Intuition?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna tensed once more. He didn't want to think of how this child had Hyper Intuition, a trait that only Tsuna's family had. Either his father was a bigger bastard than Tsuna thought or by some quirk of fate Giotto had waken it by accident. It better be the latter.

"I'm not sure yet," Tsuna said, compromised for his own heart and sanity. There wasn't any way to tell yet. Not without more observation and careful questioning of Giotto.

He pulled himself closer to Reborn, listening to the steady beat of his husband's heart.

"We'll figure it out," Reborn promised, threading his hand through Tsuna's soft hair.

That was really all Tsuna could hope for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot begins to thicken.


	8. Oversized Clothes

Oversized Clothes

16\. Socks

It was day four of the storm that had them trapped inside. Tsuna had cleaned every inch of the house; the house hadn't been this spotless since they move into the place. Every chore had been completed. It had gotten to the point where Reborn and Tsuna started tackling the list of 'Things that need to eventually get done, but not today.' Said list included replacing the broken door handle, repairing a set of clothes, paperwork, creating a small box of things to give away and so forth. Their movie collection had been dusted off and the fact that they were making a dent in Reborn's anime collection was beginning to get a little scary.

Giotto adjusted remarkably well. It was amazing to see how easily he fit into Tsuna and Reborn's life, as if he was always there. He knew when to play by himself, offered to help where he could. Reborn continued to corrupt him over anime (they were onto Card Captor Sakura now, which Tsuna grudgingly approved of).

"Thank you Giotto-kun," Tsuna said, taking the pile of socks, the last of the laundry, from Giotto's hands.

"You welcome," Giotto-kun said quietly.

Such a quiet child. Tsuna smiled at him and adjusted the overly large shirt that Giotto was wearing. They had been unprepared to take in a child and as such, there were no toys and certainly no proper sized clothes for Giotto. The blizzard had prevented them from going out to buy such items.

So Reborn took some of Tsuna's old clothes and took to adjusting them, trimming, sewing or hemming them. Yes, Reborn did all the sewing and mending in the household, but Tsuna made a promise not to tell anyone. Not that Giotto didn't take long to figure it out. All it took was a question, smile from Tsuna, a quick flash of orange in Giotto's eyes before the small boy looked at Reborn with new consideration. (And to Tsuna ever joyful mirth, Giotto spent the rest of the day at Reborn's side, much to his husband's exasperation. Tsuna took pictures. There was proof!).

Still, despite Reborn's skills, the shirt and pants were too big for Giotto's tiny frame. Tsuna's orange socks covered Giotto's entire legs. The poor boy was swimming in them.

"We'll have to buy you proper clothes once the storm breaks," Tsuna mused.

Giotto looked up at him, startled. "You're letting me stay?" he asked, incredulous and reeling. "Why?"

Tsuna stilled. The thought of letting Giotto leave hadn't crossed his mind. He already knew that Reborn would fight him on this issue. A child was a vulnerability, a weakness, a danger. Tsuna knew that Reborn would eventually relent in letting Tsuna keep a child, the issue was keeping a child _now_. Now when they were so woefully unprepared to keep one, when so much danger lurking around the corner.

For all that Giotto most likely suffered, he would still be safer at an orphanage. The logical thing would be to take Giotto to the police station, to Kyoya, to the orphanage as soon as the blizzard broke. But… Tsuna stared at Giotto whose eyes were glowing orange; hope and fear intertwined within him. Tsuna had his heart charmed by this small tiny boy.

The truth then. (Because if it was Hyper Intuition then a lie would do nothing, but set the trust they had built, back).

"I still have to talk to Reborn about it," Tsuna said honestly. "But regardless of what we decide, you will always be welcomed here."

Giotto's wide smile blew Tsuna away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -crawls back into bed-


	9. Can We Keep Him?

Can We Keep Him?

1\. Pen

Tsuna watched as Reborn signed his name on the piece of paper with a black pen. He had been watching for several minutes as the black pen glided over the paperwork, the quiet scratches filling the room.

"Out with it," Reborn said, not looking up from the paperwork.

"I want to adopt Giotto-kun," Tsuna blurted out.

The pen stopped.

"Tsuna," Reborn said. His black eyes were narrowed; a frown on his face.

"If he has nowhere else to go," Tsuna added. Because if Giotto did have a loving family out there, then Tsuna wasn't so cruel to take Giotto away from them. (He highly doubted and Hyper Intuition agreed but Tsuna would be thorough with his search).

"Tsuna," Reborn repeated.

"I know," Tsuna pleaded.

"We are unprepared, in all the ways that it matters to take in a child full time," Reborn pointed out. "If you're going to insist, at least him to your mother, because she is prepared to take in a child."

"I know," Tsuna said quietly. A haunted look appeared in his eyes. Logical and sense gave away to the attachment Tsuna had formed over four small days. He knew what would be better and safer for Giotto. Tsuna… simply didn't want to let Giotto go.

Reborn sighed. "I'm not saying no, nor am I saying yes," he pointed out. "I also not the only person you will have to convince. There is also Giotto's future to consider."

"I know," Tsuna said miserably. He didn't need Reborn to point it out to him how dangerous it was. Adopting Giotto would seal Giotto's fate; there would be no normal childhood for him. Then there was the rest of the family. The rest of the family that Tsuna would need to convince. Considering most of them were still sulking over the fact that Tsuna married Reborn after what could only be called a modern day Romeo and Juliet drama, it was not going to be easy.

Reborn picked up the black pen, flourishing one last piece of paperwork with his signature. "Just think about it."

"I know."


	10. Storm Break

Storm Break

15\. Peace (replace Stamp)

The blizzard broke on day six. Reborn woke to a quiet morning. Tsuna mumbled drowsily as Reborn slipped out of bed. The brat was still asleep in the guest bedroom. (Which, Reborn knew, was becoming less of a guest bedroom and more of the brat's bedroom).

It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was the bloodied calm before the storm.

"JYUUDAIME!"

The blizzard may be gone, but another storm just rolled in. In one swift movement, Reborn grabbed the assailant who had stormed through the door and threw him onto the couch. A roll of duct tape was grabbed and not even a minute later, one tied up, gagged assailant landed back on the floor.

With not a moment to lose, as Tsuna came storming out the bedroom armed with Reborn's favorite gun, Leon. Reborn took a moment to appreciate how serious (and hot) Tsuna looked, armed with a gun, orange eyes ablaze.

Then, like flipping a switch, it was gone as Tsuna had recognized their assailant. "Hayato?" Tsuna asked.

Gokudera Hayato, Tsuna's right hand man and more importantly, one of Tsuna's best friends, was tied up in duct tape and wiggling trying to get free.

"Reborn!"

Reborn just shrugged and returned to the kitchen for his coffee. Hayato should know better to come over before coffee was served and Reborn was not in a forgiving mood before then.

-Later-

The minute he had found himself tied up and gagged with duct tape of all things, Hayato remembered he had broken one of the most sacred rules regarding Reborn: do not disturb before morning coffee. Considering he only ended up tied up in duct tape (and not with a bullet in his shoulder), Hayato figured he had gotten off lightly and that Reborn must be a good mood having Tsuna all to himself these last couple days.

In Hayato's defense, though, the only reason why he had come over so worried was because he hadn't seen Tsuna in days and that was causing him to break out in hives.

"Hayato," Tsuna said, exasperated as he freed Hayato from his duct tape bonds.

Hayato winced as the duct tape pulled at his skin.

"How's Takeshi?" Tsuna asked before Hayato could start his questioning.

"The baseball idiot is fine," Hayato automatically replied.

It was true. Hayato had left Takeshi in bed, very warm, content and still happily asleep to come and check up on Tsuna.

"Hayato! Tsuna!"

Or not.

Hayato blinked at the appearance of his boyfriend. "You're supposed to stay in bed you idiot!" he sputtered out.

Takeshi just laughed. "I can't sleep without you."

Hayato wasn't blushing! Wasn't! Lies!

Takeshi continued to laugh; smile wide on his face. "I didn't know you had a kid, Tsuna," Takeshi said.

Hayato's eyes snapped in the direction that Takeshi was looking at. Sure enough, there was a small kid peeking out of the bedroom. The coloring was all wrong, but glowing orange eyes and the shape of the face, it was all Tsuna's. Tsuna had a kid and didn't tell them?

Once the kid realized that they were looking at him, a startled frightened look crossed his face and he slammed the door closed.

"He's not mines," Tsuna said, reading the thought on Hayato's face. "If I had a kid, I would have told you guys."

And just like that Tsuna wiped away all of Hayato's crippling self-doubt.

"We found him just before the blizzard hit," Tsuna explained. "His name is Giotto and he has probably been abused. Don't scare him too much."

"What do you intend to do?" Hayato asked.

A fond look crossed Tsuna's face. "I want to adopt him if he has nowhere to go."

That… wasn't surprising. Hayato knew how big Tsuna's heart was. But, to hear Tsuna even consider it, given their lifestyle. That was strange.

"His orange eyes?" Takeshi asked. That was a good question. The only person Hayato knew with orange eyes was Tsuna and that was only when Tsuna's Hyper Intuition was in full effect.

"They're normally blue," Tsuna said through gritted teeth. "I'm not sure if it is Hyper Intuition yet, but it points to being yes. All I know is my father better not be connected to this."

Hayato agreed. There was little love for Iemitsu among Tsuna and his friends. But the similarities between Giotto and Tsuna quite obvious.

"It's actually a good thing you guys came over," Tsuna said. "Reborn and I are going to have go out now that the blizzard has broke. I don't want to leave Giotto-kun alone, but I don't want to take him out of the house… and expose him to everyone else. Not until it's decided what will happen."

"Sure, we can watch him," Takeshi said.

What was Takeshi on?! Watching kids?!

"Hayato?" Tsuna asked.

"Of course Tsuna-sama!" Wait no! Damn it. Curse Hayato's automatic responses.

"Thank you," Tsuna said. "Now come on. I'll cook you guys breakfast while I get Reborn to convince Giotto to come out of his room."

"He's not scared of Reborn?" Takeshi asked.

Tsuna let out a resigned sigh. "They have bonded over magical girl animes. Feel free to put on the next disc of Magic Knight Rayearth. Reborn seems determined to expose Giotto-kun to all of Clamp's work. Don't start Tsubasa. Just don't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Tsubasa, however I would never really recommend it to anyone just because of how mind screwy/confusing it was at the end. At the very least it isn't something Giotto would really understand at his age (child genius or not).


	11. Breakfast

Breakfast

9\. Dishes

"Brat, meet Puppy and Smiles," Reborn said.

"Reborn," Tsuna scolded. He kneeled down to Giotto's level. "This is Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi, my best friends. Now that the storm has broken, Reborn and I have to run some errands, at the same time unfortunately, so they'll watch you until we get back."

Giotto looked at the two new strangers and shrank behind Reborn's legs. He was willing to admit that in the few short days he had been here, that he liked Tsuna and Reborn was not as scary as he looked. (He was still dangerous, very dangerous, but he didn't want to hurt Giotto so that was okay).

Now Tsuna wanted to introduce him to two more people?

"They're not going to hurt you, Giotto-kun," Tsuna said softly.

Giotto turned his sight away from Reborn and looked at the two strangers. The silver haired one (Gokudera) had a scowl on his face and looked like the type that stole what little food Giotto had managed to find just for the hell of it. The black haired one (Yamamoto) smiled and looked friendly, but he was as scary as Reborn and that odd and strange and Giotto didn't feel safe at all.

That was when Yamamoto bent down to Giotto's level too; his smile stretching wider. "Maa maa. No need to be scared, Giotto-kun. We're not going to hurt you," he said.

Giotto stared and stared. There was no lie in Yamamoto's words, he knew that. It was reassuring, like a voice that wasn't really a voice telling him it would be alright.

"Tsuna said you were watching Magic Knight Rayearth. We can finish watching that today if you like," Yamamoto continued. "Don't worry about Hayato. He looks grumpy and mean, but he's really a big softie."

"Like Syaoran or Sailor Mars?" Giotto asked. Someone sounded like they were choking, but Giotto had more concerns at the moment.

"Exactly like that," Yamamoto said; smile growing even wider. "Now what do you say to spending the day with us while Tsuna and Reborn go run their errands?"

Giotto weighed the consequences of that. They aren't lying to him. He had learned to trust his instincts when it came to that regard. So, it should be okay. Tsuna trusted them and Giotto had come to trust Tsuna a lot.

"Okay."

Tsuna smiled fondly at him, reaching out to pat his head. However, Giotto flinched and shuffled backwards. Wilting at that, Tsuna pulled back his hand.

"Sorry," Giotto said, distressed. He didn't mean to upset Tsuna!

"It's okay Giotto-kun," Tsuna reassured. "Let's eat breakfast okay?"

Breakfast turned out to be a quiet affair. Or as quiet as it could get in the presence of Yamamoto and Gokudera. Giotto couldn't believe they were dating, much less even friends with the amount of arguing that happened across the table. Tsuna played mediator every time a fight broke out. When Giotto looked at Reborn, who was reading the newspaper and ignoring everyone, all Reborn said, "You learn to ignore it after a while. Drink your milk."

Giotto gripped the snowman mug and obediently finished his milk.

Soon the plates were cleaned of food. The dishes were collected and wash, placed neatly on the dish rack. Giotto found himself distracted with the next episode of Magic Knight Rayearth, that he didn't notice Tsuna, wearing gloves, slipped the snowman mug into a plastic bag and into an orange backpack.

"We'll be back Giotto-kun," Tsuna said.

Giotto nodded, nervously. "Okay."

And just like that, Tsuna and Reborn left and Giotto was left alone with two strangers. Nervously, Giotto looked at Yamamoto and Gokudera. The first smiled at him and the second scowled.

It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why isn't it Saturday yet? OTL


	12. Hibari

Hibari

6\. Bird (Replaces Fancy restaurant)

A small yellow bird sat on the snow covered branch, trilling his song.

"midori tanabiku namimori no

dai naku shou naku nami ga ii"

Tsuna grinned as he entered the garden, closing the small wooden gate behind him. "Hello Hibird," he greeted the yellow bird.

Hibird flew down to Tsuna's open hand. "Omnivore, Omnivore!" he chirped.

"Where's Kyoya?" Tsuna asked, petting the small bird. "Is he home?"

"Omnivore."

Tsuna turned to see Kyoya standing in the doorway. Kyoya stepped aside, gesturing Tsuna to enter the house before all the heat escaped.

Tsuna slipped inside, leaving behind his wet shoes and coat. The blizzard may have passed, but it was still snowing quite heavily outside. Kyoya led him to one of the sitting rooms. "Why are you here?" Kyoya grumbled at him. "What trouble did you cause?"

Tsuna chuckled nervously as he took a seat on the tatami mats across from Kyoya. Kyoya knew him so well. He pulled out the snowman mug and a picture of Giotto from his orange backpack. "I need you to run a DNA test on this and compare it against everyone in my family. I also need you to find everything on a boy named Giotto. He refused to tell me his last name, has blond hair, blue eyes and looks to be somewhere around age five."

"Another stray?" Kyoya said. His eyes narrowed at what exactly Tsuna was implying.

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Tsuna said.

"Because you don't stop," Kyoya said, scowling. "First it was pineapple head and his twin, on the run from the Vindice of all people. A turf war with the Italian mob, Tsunayoshi. It was amazing your grandfather didn't punish you more for it."

Timeoto actually did, but Tsuna didn't tell any of his friends. It was his decision, his punishment to bear and Mukuro and Chrome did not need to know what Tsuna had to do to keep them safe.

"The storm puppy wasn't so bad, being a freelancer. But then you brought home the hitman and things escalated again. We are yakuza, not mafiso."

Clearly, this had been building in Kyoya for a while. In fact, Tsuna couldn't even remember the last time Kyoya had said so many words to him at one time. Tsuna made a note to cook his Cloud as many hamburgers as Kyoya wanted for the next month. There was some truth to Kyoya's words though.

Hamaguri-gumi was by far the largest yakuza family in all of Japan. Under its ninth oyabun, Sawada Timeoto, it expanded its influence to the shores of Korea and China and still growing. Its headquarters was in fact the small town of Namimori. All of which, Tsuna was the sole heir.

Due… to certain incidents, Tsuna may have started a turf war with the Italian mob. He didn't approve of human experimentations (which Mukuro and Chrome suffered), he certainly didn't like that they sent Reborn to kill him (of course, if they hadn't he would have never met his husband), and it wasn't like Tsuna was trying to take over their territory over in Italy. It just kept happening!

Things were okay for now. Sorta. Millefiore Famiglia was still a thorn in Tsuna's side.

"Do something about the Millefiore Famiglia," Kyoya ordered, throwing a stack of papers at Tsuna.

"Can't it wait until after New Years?" Tsuna asked, shuffling through the papers.

"No. They're already starting to sniffle around again," Kyoya said. "If they disrupt Namimori's peace, I will bite you to death."

Tsuna grinned. Convincing Kyoya to become his Cloud Lieutenant (for Hamaguri had six main direct branches, named after the elements of the sky) was one of his proudest achievements. (Convincing Reborn to deflect and marry him was the other).

He ducked as Kyoya took a swipe at him with his tonfa. "Out," the Skylark ordered.

Tsuna slipped out of the room, still smiling. "Thank you Kyoya."

"You owe me, Omnivore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hibari~ So not quite mafia, but yakuza. -bricked- Mostly because I didn't want to explain why Tsuna was still in Japan at this time. so Vongola became Hamaguri and Tsuna's habit of adopting strays has gotten him into trouble. So nothing new.


	13. Why Snowball Fights are a Bad Idea

Why Snowball Fights are a Bad Idea

8\. Snow (replaces Wet)

"We have to do something."

"Like what?" Hayato snapped.

Takeshi gestured to the living room where Giotto was watching them with distrustful eyes. "Something! He's terrified of us."

"We are not the nicest people in the world," Hayato said. "For all your smiles and laughs, did you actually forget what your job is?!" Namely, they were Tsuna's Rain and Storm Lieutenants and his primary bodyguards.

"No," Takeshi said. "But Tsuna's thinking about adopting him! That's more than enough reason to be friends with him."

A range of emotion crossed Hayato's face. "Tsuna-sama always has a big heart, but adopting?"

"It's Tsuna," Takeshi said. He looked outside where the snow had lightened up just a little. "Why don't we take the kid out into the yard? Snowball fight."

"He doesn't exactly have clothes to go outside. What if he gets sick?" Hayato snapped.

"It won't be that bad," Takeshi said. "We'll give him a shower afterwards."

"We are not taking him outside and into the snow," Hayato protested. "He'll get sick."

"We have to do something!" Takeshi said.

"What about cooking?" Hayato suggested.

They both turned towards the living room to see Giotto ducking behind some pillows. Takeshi carefully walked over to the couch, slowly removing the pillows. "Maa, maa, Giotto-kun. We aren't going to hurt you," Takeshi reassured. "How about we bake a cake for Tsuna and Reborn?"

"We are not baking a cake!" Hayato called from the kitchen.

"Chocolate chip cookies then," Takeshi amended.

He waited patiently as Giotto stared him; eyes blazing orange. Takeshi could see the gears slowly turning in his head small head. As softly as he could, Takeshi probed again, "Do you like chocolate chip cookies, Giotto-kun?"

Giotto nodded once. "There was a lady that gave me one day. It tasted really good."

Takeshi grinned. "Great! What do you say we make some for Tsuna and Reborn? Afterwards, I can teach you how to make sushi."

"Sushi?"

Takeshi nodded. "Yup. See my oyaji runs a sushi shop. Best sushi shop in all of Japan."

Giotto was quiet for a moment before he said, "I never had sushi before."

"We can't have that," Takeshi said. "Come on now. Come help me and Hayato in the kitchen? Please? You can mix the batter and add the chocolate chips and I'll measure everything out for you."

"What's Gokudera-san gonna do?" Giotto asked.

"I'm going to run out to buy eggs because we don't have any," Hayato called out. He walked passed them and towards the front door.

"Hayato is gonna buy eggs," Takeshi repeated. "So what do you say? Let's make cookies?"

Giotto pondered for a brief moment. Then slowly he nodded. "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of you guys have been asking about how Reborn and Tsuna met and if I would write about it. The current answer is I don't know? We'll cover it a little in this story but it won't be the whole thing. -shrugs-


	14. Enma

Enma

24\. Gift

Reborn looked at the empty warehouse. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in an annoyed fashion.

"Kufufufu. It seems they risked the blizzard and fled while they had the chance."

Reborn tilted his head, lifting the brim of his fedora to see the twins had joined him. "Mukuro, Chrome," he greeted.

"No trace of where they went," Chrome said.

"Che," Reborn said. "Nosy rats."

Reborn tugged at the brim of his fedora. He didn't think they were would be stupid enough to encroach straight into the heart of Hamaguri-gumi's territory. Just what was Byakuran playing at?

* * *

Tsuna browsed the children's clothing section, selecting clothes he thought that Giotto would like. His orange backpack was already full of a small selection of toys and books that Giotto would like. All that was left was some proper clothes for him. Perhaps something orange.

"Children clothes, Tsuna?"

Tsuna turned to see Enma peering over his shoulder. "Enma," he greeted, smiling wide.

Enma and Tsuna were childhood friends. A pair of no-good losers who found camaraderie between their similar bullies. They had drifted apart as Enma had transferred to Shimon Middle School but had stayed in touch. Ultimately, though, Enma had become a police officer and Tsuna was tied to his very illegal, yakuza family. It didn't stop them from being friends though. To be fair, Enma was Hamaguri's police liaison. The one officer that Hamaguri's members felt comfortable going to for "help" with "legal" issues.

It helped that Enma understood that despite their rather shady nature, Hamaguri was one of the better yakuza families out there. No human or drug trafficking was done within the Hamaguri group, which put them miles ahead of the smaller yakuza families.

It was Enma that Tsuna would have left Giotto with.

"Found a small child," Tsuna said, shrugging. "I meant to bring him to you, but the blizzard rolled in and then I discovered something about said child."

"Something bad?" Enma asked. "Or just family related?"

Tsuna could read in between the lines. He added a brown jacket to the growing pile of clothes in his cart. "Well, I'm fairly certain he was abused. Once that information comes in, you're welcome to take the bastard into custody."

"Good," Enma said. "I'm sure no one will notice if said bastard comes in a little roughed up."

See. This was why all of Hamaguri loved Enma as their police connection. Enma might be on the side of the law, but didn't stop him from believing in justice. Tsuna was already going to let Mukuro and Kyoya take a shot at whoever was abusing Giotto.

"There might be a family related," Tsuna continued. He held up two shirts, one blue and white striped one and one with a lion on it for Enma to inspect.

"The lion," Enma said. "A member's kid?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Iemitsu might be involved."

Enma's lip drew into a single line. "Is he back in town?" he asked.

Tsuna growled, clenching his fist tightly. "No, but at the same time I'm not sure Kyoya would tell me if he was." Tsuna was a pacifist by nature, but Iemitsu might be the sole exception. There was a lot Tsuna did not forgive his father for. Hurting Nana the way he did was merely the tip of the iceberg.

"How old is the kid?" Enma asked, eyeing the matching lion stuffed animal.

"We're not sure, but we're estimating about five," Tsuna answered.

"I'll buy this lion then for him. As a gift," Enma said, picking up the small orange lion.

"Want to come over for dinner?" Tsuna offered. "I'm not going to tell him you're police though. Not yet."

"I don't expect you to," Enma said. "Plus to eat your cooking? Any day." Then stopped and thought about it. "Should I be expecting the rest of your lieutenants?"

Tsuna gave a nervous laugh as they headed towards the cashier. "Maybe…? I mean, I'm sure Kyoya isn't going to show up. It's always hard to tell with Mukuro and if Mukuro doesn't come, Chrome won't either. Ryohei might, but Hayato and Takeshi are already there."

Enma paled a little. "In other words, I'll be lucky to walk out of that house with my eardrums in tact."

Tsuna grinned. "I would be more worried about your sanity."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enma the policeman! -bricked- They gotta have some people on the other side of the law right?!


	15. Getting to Know Each Other

Getting to Know Each Other

14\. Cooking (replaces Lantern/Lamp/Flashlight)

"So, Giotto-kun, how old are you?" Takeshi asked as he and Giotto rolled out the cookie dough.

"Six!" Giotto said.

Hayato turned the rice cooker on and went back to chopping vegetables while Takeshi and Giotto finished up the cookies. It was agreed that Takeshi, being the much friendlier of the two of them, would try and get as much information out of Giotto.

"How did you and Tsuna meet?" Takeshi asked.

Giotto blinked. He looked down, not meeting Takeshi's eyes. "He found me in the alleyway," he said quietly.

"Ah," Takeshi said. "Why weren't you home?"

Giotto bit his lip. "Don't have one," he mumbled. "Can never go back."

"Why can't you go back?" Takeshi asked. He did not like the way this conversation was going. What person in their right mind throws a kid out on the streets?

"Can't. Don't want to," Giotto said. His expression was guarded and heavy.

Takeshi nodded and let the subject lie. "So how long were you on the streets?"

"Since spring time. Lots of sakura blossoms, everywhere," Giotto answered.

It did not slip Takeshi's attention that Giotto was speaking in short clipped sentences. Still not comfortable with them then.

Well, time to change the subject. "So what other animes did you watch with Reborn?"

Ooo look at that sparkle in Giotto's eyes. Tsuna was not kidding about bonding over magical girl anime.

"We saw Pretear which was okay. Saint Tail was kinda fun! We started on Clamp's other word. I really liked Angelic Layer! It was cool that you could control the toys with just your thoughts," Giotto rambled.

"Yeah, that's really cool," Takeshi said. Angelic Layer was one of the few Takeshi had actually seen. Mostly because one day Reborn had dressed Tsuna in a Hikaru costume and Takeshi was curious.

He wiped Giotto's hands and put the last batch of cookies in the oven. "All done," Takeshi said. "Good job Giotto-kun."

Takeshi smiled at the light blush on Giotto's face.

"Rice is done," Hayato said. "You can start building your sushi." He placed the cut vegetables on the table with the nori. "You still have to cut the fish."

"How do we make sushi?" Giotto asked, eyes wide.

Takeshi grinned. "I'll show you."

* * *

"You two are following me home why?" Reborn asked. Instead of parting ways as expected, Mukuro and Chrome had instead Reborn back home.

"Kufufu, Tsunayoshi's food is something we have missed during this blizzard," Mukuro said nonchalantly.

"We're just concerned about boss," Chrome said.

Reborn sighed.

"Oh no. Mukuro is here. You know I should probably take a raincheck, Tsuna."

Reborn looked to see his husband dragging Enma with him. "Nonsense, Enma," Tsuna said. "It's only Mukuro."

Mukuro slung an arm around Enma's shoulder. "Kufufu. Hello Enma," he purred.

The door opened to reveal a bright eyed Giotto. "You're home!" the small boy proclaimed.

Tsuna smiled, bending down to Giotto's height. "We're back. And we brought a couple more friends."

Giotto threw a hesitated glance at the three newcomers. "We made you dinner," Giotto said quietly.

"No Tsunayoshi's cooking?" Mukuro said, disappointed. "We will ta-" He was cut off by Chrome who stepped on her twin's foot.

Chrome took a step forward, kneeling down next to Tsuna to match Giotto's height. "Hello. I'm Chrome," she introduced herself. "What's for dinner?"

Giotto shifted closer to Tsuna. "Sushi," he said, tentatively. Then he added on, "And chocolate chip cookies for dessert."

"Well, we must not keep Takeshi and Hayato waiting then," Tsuna said, ushering everyone inside. He closed the door and gave Reborn, who was the last to enter the house, a kiss on the cheek.

"The brat's going to be traumatized after this," Reborn said dryly. "It's a good thing your siblings, Cloud and Sun aren't coming by. He might run away."

"Reborn!" Tsuna said. "They aren't that bad!"

Reborn just gave him a look.

"Okay, maybe just a little," Tsuna amended. He smiled. "Giotto-kun will be fine."

"If you say so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Thank you to those who pointed out my tiny mistake last chapter. This is what happens when I decide to not check the wikia. OTL But hey! Look Giotto gets to meet the entire gang. Sorta kinda. (I mean he hasn't met Hibari yet, probably won't for awhile now that I think about it or Ryohei). He'll be fine. Hopefully. Yeah. No, I kinda agree with Reborn. Giotto's gonna be traumatized.


	16. Doctor Visit

Doctor Visit

21\. Dragon

Giotto pressed himself closer to the nook of Tsuna's neck. A doctor's office. Mentally Giotto despaired. Why did Tsuna bring him here? First Tsuna took him to meet a scary man with grey eyes who made Giotto feel like he was a small animal in front of a predator. He got asked a bunch of questions by that man ("Hibari Kyoya," Tsuna said) before Tsuna had dragged him here to this doctor's office. He clung to Tsuna as Tsuna held him, rocking him in the middle of the doctor's office.

That was when a stuffed yellow dragon shoved itself in front of Giotto's face. Giotto pulled away, startled.

"Why are you extremely upset?" the dragon said.

Or rather the person holding the dragon said.

Tsuna turned his head, looking back. "Oniisan," he greeted. "Giotto-kun, this is Sasagawa Ryohei. He's my family doctor."

"It's extremely nice to meet you!" Ryohei bellowed.

Giotto flinched the loudness of Ryohei's face, shrinking even smaller into Tsuna's arms.

"Don't be afraid, Giotto-kun. Oniisan just needs to take a quick look at you. To make sure you're healthy. Once he's done, we can go home, I promise."

"It will be extremely fast," Ryohei proclaimed. He handed the stuffed dragon to Giotto. "You may hold onto Ryu!"

Giotto took the stuffed dragon, hugging it close. He took a deep breath and nodded his consent. The sooner this was over, the better.

"So how is he?" Tsuna asked, glancing back out in the waiting room where Giotto was playing with the stuffed dragon and some blocks.

"You were right. He shows signs of abuse and neglect. Malnutrition was there, but not as long lasting. Several months, which matches with Takeshi's report that Giotto-kun has been on the streets since spring," Ryohei said. "The bruises he has are healing and at one point he had a hairline fracture on his arm. That's nearly healed though. He's still underweight, but that is not an issue if he stays with you."

"Thanks Oniisan," Tsuna said. "He'll be okay then."

Ryohei gave him a thumbs up. "Just keep doing what you're doing, Tsuna."

"No objections if I decide to adopt him?" Tsuna asked.

"As your Sun Lieutenant I disapprove because of our lifestyle," Ryohei immediately said. He looked at a picture on his desk. It was a family photo, of Ryohei, his wife Hana and their two year old daughter. "As a father, parenthood was the best thing that could have happened to me. Besides, you and Reborn would have had to eventually adopt anyways. If only to settle the concern between heirs and your legacy."

Tsuna winced. "Yeah."

Ryohei clasped his hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "Just follow your heart Tsuna. It has never led you astray yet!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \ o / I have successfully introduced Giotto to all of Tsuna's Lieutenants! (Lambo doesn't count. Sorta. Not really. I'm on the fence still as to whether he is or isn't in this story or if someone else is holding it in the mean time.)


	17. Xanxus

Xanxus

12\. Car

It was a cold Sunday morning when a sleek Mercedes car rolled into the driveway of the Sawada/Sinclair Household. The tires crunched on the freshly fallen snow, and the windows tinted. It pulled to a stop, the engine sputtering to a stop and the door opened.

Out, stepped a man with black hair adorned with feathers. Scars crisscrossed his face as red piercing eyes swept over the front yard.

The front yard where Giotto had been playing in the snow. Giotto noticing the man, promptly dropping his snowball and scrambled to hide behind Tsuna.

"Giotto-kun?" Tsuna asked. He turned to see the man stalking towards them. Tsuna paled. "Xanxus-nii," Tsuna sputtered out. "Why are you here?"

Despite the term of 'nii', Xanxus was actually Tsuna's uncle. The age difference between them was only a few years though (the actual age gap between Xanxus's brothers was quite large; no surprise given that Xanxus was adopted late in Timoteo's life.) Xanxus had been more of a big brother than an uncle to Tsuna.

Xanxus's eyes narrowed. "You whelped and didn't tell the old man?" he demanded.

"I did nothing of the sort!" Tsuna protested.

Judging from the way Xanxus was laughing, the man didn't believe Tsuna.

"At least this solves the heir problem," Xanxus said. "The old man will be happy."

"The heir problem wouldn't my problem if someone didn't trick me into becoming heir in the first place!" Tsuna protested. After all, he had a clearly more talented, more experienced uncle that could take over Hamaguri-gumi and Tsuna could have lived his life without any worries. It would have been a perfectly normal life. (Or as normal as one could get when you were related to a yakuza family. But Tsuna could have opened his little cafe like he wanted instead of becoming heir to the largest yakuza family in all of Japan!)

Of course, Xanxus-nii just laughed at him and told him to suck it up because there was no way Xanxus was taking the job. Something about how Tsuna could deal with all the paperwork, the police and the semi-legalities of being a yakuza boss while Xanxus remained the boss of the smaller branch. Which amounted to Xanxus could go around terrorizing people as he pleased and didn't have to deal with the 'legal' side of things. (That was the whole reason why Xanxus got himself skipped over and Tsuna got the job as next in line!)

Tsuna would like to protest that he was five at the time and someone (his father!) should have stopped Xanxus from filing the proper paperwork to get himself excluded from the line of succession. Timoteo should have never let it happen! Except the old man was clearly humoring his youngest son and at the time Iemitsu was slated to take over irregardless.

Of course it would come back fifteen years later to bite Tsuna in the ass.

"Stop laughing Xanxus-nii!" Tsuna protested.

Xanxus did not.

Despairing, Tsuna ushered Giotto inside. "Giotto-kun, why don't you go find Reborn? I'll send Xanxus-nii away."

Giotto looked back and forth between the two, not ready to leave Tsuna alone with a clearly dangerous man.

"Go," Tsuna instructed.

Giotto trotted toward the house, stopping just at the door to pin Xanxus with a glare. His blue eyes flashed orange and suddenly Xanxus sobered his laugh.

"That was Hyper Intuition," Xanxus said once Giotto was inside the house. "You're sure he isn't yours?"

"He definitely not mines," Tsuna said. "But I am considering adopting him."

Xanxus shot him a look. "Iemitsu?"

Tsuna took a deep fortifying breath; his own brown eyes flashing orange to match his rage. "He better not," he hissed.

Silence reigned as Tsuna reeled in his rage. Six years wasn't long enough to even begin to think of forgiveness. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

"No protests against me adopting him?" Tsuna asked warily. His friends had all expressed their concerns. Tsuna was already dreading bring up the notion to the rest of his family.

Xanxus shrugged. "You forget baby trash, that I'm adopted. Why should I have an issue with it? If you want to adopt the brat go ahead. He's related to our family somehow. Hyper Intuition is more than enough proof for that. You're the one with the soft heart and didn't want kids wrapped up in our very illegal family until they were old enough to make a choice."

Tsuna shrugged. Adopting Giotto made him Tsuna's heir. There would be no choice in the matter. Giotto would inherit Hamaguri-gumi should anything ever happen to Tsuna. That made Giotto a target to their enemies and rivals, not to mention that their lifestyle was by no means a safe one. Reborn was a hitman goodness sake.

Giotto would need to be informed of Hamaguri before Tsuna made any real decision to adopt him. Tsuna would not force him and if it was safer to send Giotto away, Tsuna would do that. Especially since Millefiore was still lurking around.

"I just figured after Reborn, you would disapprove," Tsuna said. Xanxus was one of the few that still continued to protest Tsuna's marriage to Reborn. He was also one of the few that still tried to kill Reborn every time they met. (Reborn of course, just met every match with a hidden glee and Tsuna was forced to intervene before blood could be shed.)

"There's a difference between a child and a hitman who was sent to kill you," Xanxus said dryly. "I assume you've already set your Cloud on the trail?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yes."

Xanxus turned and headed back towards his car. "Good. Keep me updated. If Iemitsu is involved, my dear brother is a dead man walking."

"You're going to have to get in line," Tsuna called out as Xanxus pulled his car out of the driveway.

As the black car sped off, Tsuna stared up at the sky. He let out a deep breath, watching his breath appear in the cold. Something inside of him grew cold and numb at the thought of his father. Iemitsu had a lot to answer for. If he was involved… if he was involved, Tsuna wasn't sure if he could break his mother's heart all over again.

That was absolutely unforgivable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look Xanxus! See all Xanxus wants is to kill and terrorize people. Let Tsuna handle the police and whatnots.
> 
> Also yes you smart brilliant people! Thank you for pointing out that I didn't have Giotto meet Hibari -ninja- I originally had it but the chapter got cut. I've rewritten a paragraph last chapter to cover Giotto's meeting with Hibari.


	18. Noisy

Noisy

10\. Sunset/Sunrise

Before Giotto knew it another two weeks had passed. New Years was approaching (and Christmas had been a novel experience). Giotto would only marvel and be amazed that Tsuna and Reborn had let him stay so long.

Tsuna knew so many people and lots of people kept coming over. They kept wanting to meet Giotto, wanting to talk to him. For a boy who was never wanted before, it was a strange and unfamiliar situation to be in. Who could ever be interested in Giotto?

Not to mention all of Tsuna's friends were loud and noisy. They fought and argued. Gokudera was always yelling at someone and Mukuro was very creepy. Chrome was nice and Ryohei was always extremely loud. Hibari was, Giotto shuddered, scary. Not as scary as Reborn but not as nice either. Yamamoto was confusing because he acted friendly, but Giotto knew without a doubt that he was really scary too!

Kozato was friendly, though. He was calm. Giotto liked that about him.

Giotto sat on the ground, staring out the glass doors of the balcony. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was creeping towards the horizon. Already the sky was turning a beautiful hue of red, yellow and orange. The town was painted similarly, the colors reflecting off the white snow.

"Are you alright Giotto-kun?"

Giotto turned his head to see Tsuna sitting down next to him.

Giotto nodded. "Yes."

"Why are you over here by yourself?" Tsuna asked.

Giotto looked over the noisy and crowded dining room. "Noisy," he said.

"Ah," Tsuna said. "I'm afraid nothing can be done but to get used to it."

"Are they always like this?" Giotto asked, wary. In the background, he could see Mukuro and Hibari had their weapons drawn and Giotto knew without any doubt that a fight was about to break out. What kind of people walked around with weapons like that anyways?

"Unfortunately," Tsuna said. His lips quivered, suppressing the twitch of a smile.

"I wouldn't have them any other way," Tsuna continued, looking at them fondly.

Privately, Giotto wondered if one day that would include him. He liked living here with Tsuna and Reborn. As scary as Tsuna's many friends were, they were nice to him.

"Don't worry though. They won't hurt you," Tsuna said.

"I know," Giotto said. He did. Outside of the first meeting, when the alarms in Giotto's head went off, there hadn't been another nudge or warning from his instincts. Dangerous but nice people. It was an odd conundrum.

"Giotto-kun?" Tsuna asked, inquisitively.

"I feel safe," Giotto clarified. "Safer than I could ever remember. I really like it here."

Tsuna beamed. "That's good."

Giotto nodded, looking at the large group of people that had wandered into his life. The large group of people who wanted him.

Yes, it was a very good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giotto you squishy lovable boy. You're getting use to the insanity that is Tsuna's life. I'm so proud of you.


	19. Family Tree

Family Tree

3\. Letter/Text Message

Tuesday morning broke with Namimori's Middle School Anthem.

Namely, Hibird came, waking Reborn and Tsuna from their sleep with a message tied to his leg.

"Dame-Tsuna," Reborn muttered sleepily. "Your Cloud wants you."

Tsuna whimpered and covered his head with his pillow. "It's too early."

Undeterred, Hibird flew over to Tsuna's head, pecking at the soft locks.

"I'm up, I'm up," Tsuna sat up. He cupped the small yellow bird in his hands, glaring. "How did you get in anyways? It's too cold to leave the window open." He untied the letter from Hibird's leg and unfolded it.

Eyes wide, he shook Reborn awake. "Reborn, Kyoya finished his investigation."

Grumbling, Reborn sat up. "It's about time. It normally doesn't take him this long."

Tsuna just stared at the message. "What am I going to do if Iemitsu is involved?" he asked quietly, despairing.

Reborn drew him close, pressing a kiss to Tsuna's temple. "We'll cross that bridge should that be the case. Just know my original offer to hunt him down and put a bullet in his head still stands."

Tsuna leaned closer. "Thanks Reborn."

"Now get going before the Skylark decides to bite you to death for keeping him waiting,"Reborn said. "I'll watch the brat."

* * *

 

"He's your first cousin once removed," Kyoya deadpanned, throwing the file at Tsuna.

"What?" Tsuna gaped.

"This is why it took so long," Kyoya said. "Tetsu will explain it to you."

Without another word, Kyoya left the room, leaving behind his second in command to explain the situation to Tsuna.

Wide eyed, Tsuna looked at Tetsuya. "Tetsuya?" he asked tentatively. "What did Kyoya mean by that?"

Tetsuya shifted nervously. "We found out that he is related to Sawada Enrico."

Tsuna's brown eyes grew even wider. "Enrico-ji?!" Enrico was the Timoteo's eldest son and Iemitsu's older brother. There was a seven year age gap between Enrico and Iemitsu. Tsuna had never met him because he had died in a gunfight before Tsuna was even born.

"More specifically, he is Enrico's grandson. Your first cousin once removed," Tetsuya explained. "We ran the test multiple times to confirm it."

"How come we didn't know about this?" Tsuna blurted out. He had a cousin somewhere out there?

Tetsuya shrugged. "As far as we able to find, Enrico had a one night stand with a woman shortly before he died. Because of this, the woman was unable to tell Enrico that he was the father as she didn't even know who he was, much less that he was connected to Hamaguri-Gumi. This woman, Sakubara Yume gave birth to a baby girl, Sakubara Shion. Shion-san would grow up to marry Takuma Kyden. They would have a son Takuma Giotto."

Tsuna sat there stunned. "Okay, so I have cousins and an aunt," he said faintly.

Tetsuya winced. "Ah, no just Giotto-kun."

"What?"

"Yume-san passed away some time ago; cancer. Shion-san passed away last year. She apparently exhausted on her feet from her job and she wandered into traffic and got hit by a car. Shion-san was pronounced dead on site," Tetsuya explained with a pained look. "As for Kyden-san…"

Here Tetsuya swallowed thickly; his hand trembled with just the slightest hint of rage. "We have found evidence to suggest that he was the one abusing Giotto-kun. Kyden-san is a drug addict, gambler and an alcoholic. The reason why Shion-san worked so hard was because of the debt he gained, a debt which he owed Hamaguri. The drugs are not from us, nor does he visit any bars that we own. There have been multiple reports of domestic violence while Shion-san was alive. From the shaky witness report, which was a fellow druggie who spent more time high than not, Kyden-san threw Giotto out this pass March. We have tracked Giotto-kun's movement all over town. It is not a perfect record, but it accounts for his movement these last few months. Smart boy. Most children his age wouldn't have lasted as long."

"Who," Tsuna gnashed out. "The hell is selling drugs in our territory?"

"Momokyokai," Tetsuya said. "Kyo-san had already cleaned the house with them. They will not be returning back to Namimori."

Good.

Tsuna hissed, absorbing the information. "Kyden-san?" he spat.

Here, Tetsuya narrowed his eyes. "We don't have enough proof to just… hand him over to the police. Xanxus-sama has kindly offered to take care of him."

"I want it done," Tsuna said darkly. "Make sure the bastard 'legally' gives his parental rights too while we're at it."

"Baring your fangs Omnivore?" Kyoya asked, entering the room back with tea.

"No one should hurt a child," Tsuna hissed, trembling over the information. "No one."

He reread the file once more, inwardly seething. Giotto would never have to worry about his 'father' ever again. Tsuna would make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So not a brother, but a cousin. -bricked- -hugs Giotto- Don't worry Giotto. You're not going back to him!
> 
> Ahaha you guys are in for a treat. The next couple chapters are gonna be a blast. owo b


	20. Basil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha my longest chapter yet. I hope you guys enjoy this one. People have been asking this particular question for awhile.

Basil

18\. Homesickness

Tsuna left Kyoya and Tetsuya with a heavy heart. His mind swam at the knowledge of what he had learned. Yakuza family or not, illegal crime or not, Tsuna could never understand why anyone would want to hurt an innocent child.

His feet carried him through Namimori and before Tsuna knew it, he was staring at his mother's house, his childhood home. Tsuna felt a pang of homesickness, heart aching for the time when things were simple and easy. He never regretted meeting Reborn, but it was undeniable that Reborn's arrival had brought untold chaos and solidified Tsuna's position as heir.

Tsuna made his way to the front door. Just as he was about to knock, the door opened and there stood his mother.

"Tsu-kun!" Nana chirped. "You came to visit!"

"Hi Kaasan," Tsuna said.

"Come in, come in," Nana said, ushering her oldest son into the house. "You just missed your siblings! I sent them to the market for groceries."

Tsuna smiled. It was good to hear that his siblings were taking responsibility. "That's good," he said. "I'm so proud of them."

Nana nodded. "They're growing up so fast," she said softly. "You all are." She hugged Tsuna.

"How's Basil?" Tsuna asked softly.

At his words, Nana's face fell, solemn and distressed. "There hasn't been any change," she said sadly. She gestured to the open door to the bedroom. "Kyoko-chan is on duty today, but I sent her out on a walk for fresh air. She needed the break."

Tsuna peeked inside to see Basil, slumbering as always. It was not a surprise, Basil had been a coma for the last six years. When it became apparent that he would not wake, Nana had offered to take him in (well aware that a hospital wasn't going to be enough protection for Basil). Hamaguri-Gumi of course paid for it and Kyoko and Haru would both go on to studying to be nurses, in order to help. (Did Tsuna ever mention how lucky he was to have such wonderful friends?)

Tsuna entered the room, intertwining his hand with Basil's one. Six years ago, Tsuna's hands dwarfed Basil, but time marched forward and despite the coma, Basil was still growing.

"Despite the coloring, you two are starting to look alike," Nana murmured softly.

Tsuna had three foster siblings that he loved and adored with all his heart. He also had one half-blood brother.

That was Basil.

Rage swelled in Tsuna's heart as he remembered what happened six years ago.

_Tsuna darted out of bed; Hyper Intuition ringing. He ran a hand through his brown hair, chest heaving and his brown eyes turned orange. Something was dreadfully wrong. Dreadfully. Who? Where? He grabbed a coat, running out of his bedroom. Pausing only long enough to see Reborn asleep on the couch, the rise and fall of the Italian's chest giving far more comfort than Tsuna had expected, Tsuna struggled to get on a pair of socks._

" _Sawada?" Reborn asked, sitting up._

_Of course, Reborn would be awake. But Tsuna didn't have time to play games. "Go back to sleep," Tsuna said. "I just need to check on something."_

" _It's 3 in the morning," Reborn deadpanned._

" _It can't wait," Tsuna said. There was a need, to see all of his family, preferably safe and sound._

_Reborn was already standing, flipping on the lights in the living room. "What do you need help with?"_

_Tsuna paused. What was Reborn playing at? What could the hitman (Reborn didn't know that Tsuna knew what his profession was) benefit from helping Tsuna? "You don't have to," Tsuna said lightly. "I'm going to probably be trekking all over town."_

" _... I want to," Reborn said._

_How could Tsuna say no to that? They left the house together, heading towards Tsuna's childhood home._

_As they ran there, Tsuna pulled out of his phone, dialing a number he knew by heart. "Pick up, pick up," he said to himself, mumbling._

" _Baby trash you better have a good reason for waking me up," Xanxus voice came over the phone._

_Tsuna let out a sigh of relief. That was one family member checked off the list. "Xanxus-nii. Are you with Ojiisan? Tell me that he's okay?"_

" _What are you talk-"_

" _Xanxus!"_

_Another wave of relief flooded Tsuna at the sound of Timoteo's voice._

" _What the hell old man?"_

" _Is that Tsuna?" Timoteo asked._

" _Yes," Tsuna said. "Ojiisan. My Hyper Intuition…"_

_Timoteo's Hyper Intuition wasn't as powerful as Tsuna (Tsuna had been the strongest case the family had seen in years), so it was foreboding that whatever was triggering Tsuna's Hyper Intuition was also triggering Timoteo's._

" _Say no more, my boy," Timoteo said. "We'll start with the rest of the members. You worry about your mother, siblings and Lieutenants."_

" _What is going on?" Xanxus cut in irritably._

" _I will explain later, Xanxus," Timoteo said. "Tsuna, keep in contact."_

" _I will," Tsuna said. He hung up as his mother's house came into view._

_Tsuna flew into the house. Lambo checked. Fuuta checked. I-pin checked. Nana checked._

" _Tsuna-nii?"_

" _Tsu-kun?"_

_Tsuna pulled his mother into a tight hug, before moving on to each of his siblings. He barely registered as Reborn explained what little he knew to Nana. His Hyper Intuition still wouldn't calm down. Holding onto Lambo in one arm, dialing Hayato's number with the other, Tsuna paced, worried and fretting._

_Within an hour, all of Tsuna's friends were over at the house. Ryohei had already crashed out on the floor, the girls, Haru, Kyoko and Chrome didn't look much further behind. Kyoya watched with a calculating gaze as Tsuna flitted between his siblings and mother and friends. Hayato and Takeshi were coordinating with Xanxus, giving reports as they came in. Reborn and Mukuro had become designating human pillows; kids draped across their laps._

_Tsuna continued to pace as his Hyper Intuition roared louder and louder. He didn't understand! He could see with his own two eyes that his family was safe._

_It was 4:12am when Nana pointed out the obvious. "What about Iemitsu?"_

_Tsuna froze. His relationship with his father was frosty at best, but there was no denying that he was family. His phone was out, dialing his father's number. Iemitsu had left yesterday to take care of some business._

" _Tsu-kun!" Iemitsu cooed over the phone. "How is my Tuna-fishy? Why are you calling so early in the morning?"_

_Instantly Tsuna's Hyper Intuition sharpened. His father sounded too cheery, too awake considering he should have been asleep. "Where are you?" Tsuna demanded. Hayato had told him that Iemitsu had left to go to Korea, for a quick check of one of their branches._

" _On a business trip!"_

" _Where. Are. You?" Tsuna bit out. Warning bells were going off in his head. Iemitsu had Hyper Intuition, stronger than Timoteo's but still weaker than Tsuna's. If Timoteo could feel the crippling anxiety that Tsuna was feeling, why wasn't Iemitsu?_

" _Korea of course!"_

" _Liar," Tsuna said, before he even registered the words. The room had grown silent._

" _..." Iemitsu was quiet on the other side. Gone was the cooing and a serious voice floated through the phone. "Well, I'm not there yet. My plane hasn't left yet."_

" _Where?" Tsuna demanded. "Do not lie to me," he hissed._

" _Hokkaido."_

_Tsuna's Hyper Intuition roared like a lion. The urge to go now built like pressure on a dam. "What did you do?!" Tsuna shrieked into the phone._

_Iemitsu was always a flighty person in Tsuna's life. Sure, his position as heir had him traveling, but for Tsuna, Iemitsu was rarely home, always out and never there when he needed a father. When he was home, he was drunk most of the time, passed out in a stupor. How his mother put up with him for long, Tsuna couldn't even understand. There were only so many times he could forgive a forgotten birthday, a missed Parent's Day, or worse forgetting Nana's birthday. Over time, Tsuna had come to just accept that Iemitsu would be around, but never as a father._

" _Now Tsu-kun," Iemitsu said. "I don't know why you're angry with me, but everything is fine!"_

" _Sawada Iemitsu. WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Tsuna roared._

" _Papa doesn't know what you're talking about Tsu-kun," Iemitsu said. "Papa has to go! See you later!"_

_The phone call came to an end with a click. Tsuna stared at his cellphone in disbelief. Rage and anxiety warred inside him. Fine, if Iemitsu didn't want to answer, Tsuna at least had a location, a lead._

" _Tsunayoshi?" Reborn called out, breaking the silence._

_Tsuna took a deep breath and started snapping out orders. "Hayato, I don't care how. I want to get to Hokkaido as fast as possible. Someone tell Ojiisan and start coordination with our Hokkaido branch. I want a head count of everyone there. Those who want to come, pack a bag."_

" _There's a blizzard building in Hokkaido," Takeshi said slowly._

" _I don't care," Tsuna snapped. (He would later apologize profusely for being so short with everyone, but Tsuna was going on nearly an hour and a half of jittery anxiety and it was getting worse.) He started to dial Dino's number. Dino was in Hokkaido._

" _Tsuna?" Dino's sleepy voice could be heard over the phone._

" _Dino-nii," Tsuna said, voice tight. "Dino-nii."_

" _Tsuna?" Dino's voice came, more alert. "What's wrong?"_

" _My father," Tsuna said, voice bitter and angry. Orange eyes flashing wildly as he ran a hand through his hair, pacing like a caged lion. "My father was in Hokkaido. I need to find out where exactly, why he was there, what he did, especially within the last two hours. It's important. He's lying to me." Tsuna hissed out the last words._

" _Okay. Will do Tsuna," Dino said._

" _We'll be there as soon as we can."_

" _Tsuna, there's a blizzard rolling in."_

" _I don't care. There's something in Hokkaido that needs my immediate attention right now," Tsuna growled._

_Three hours later as the sun crawled over the horizon, Tsuna and his friends and family arrived in Hokkaido, after breaking several traffic laws and through the slick and icy roads. No one said anything about Timoteo and Tsuna's behavior. They only had to look at the white knuckle grip Timoteo had on Xanxus' arm as if black haired man would disappear if he let go or how Tsuna pressed himself against whoever was nearest to him at the moment, curling up in Reborn's lap at one point. Both grandfather and grandson, despairing and jittery with the need to move, to protect._

_The winds howled as they arrived at Hamaguri's Hokkaido branch headquarters to a grim face Dino._

" _I don't even know where to start," Dino confessed. "It's… it's so bad I'm not sure I even want to tell you."_

" _Just tell us," Timoteo ordered._

" _Sawada Iemitsu was called here by Child Services because they had a child whom the birth certificate and later, DNA testing, confirmed was his child. That was eight year old Amae Basil. The mother had just passed away and instead of letting the child remain in Child Services, Iemitsu collected the child as it was his paternal rights," Dino said._

_Someone caught Nana as her legs gave out._

" _We have video camera footage of Iemitsu leaving the city with the child, Basil," Dino said. He paused and composed himself. "We have footage of him returning to the footage an hour later, but no child. Then four hours ago, he got on a plane to South Korea."_

" _So what you're saying is that my father cheated on my mother, resulting in a child. Took that child out of the city and abandoned him somewhere in the wildness before running away like a coward," Tsuna said frigidly._

" _What the fuck is my scumbag of a brother smoking?" Xanxus snapped._

" _I honestly think he didn't mean to get caught. If I hadn't remembered that one alias, we would have never caught it," Dino said. "Iemitsu covered his tracks well and if we had been searching for this months later, it would have slipped through the cracks. We got men out there searching, but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack and the blizzard is getting worse. At this point, at this point, there is no guarantee that Basil is still alive."_

" _He still is," Tsuna said. "I know where to find him." Hyper Intuition sang, tugging Tsuna in a direction._

_Another twenty minutes later, through the snow and mounting blizzard, Tsuna found Basil. Any joy was short lived as it became apparent that on top of the hypothermia that Basil was undoubtedly suffering, there had been blood. Tsuna could see it clearly as if he had been there. A patch of ice and Basil had slipped, tumbling down the uneven grounds and hitting his head against a tree._

_Grief stricken, Tsuna cradled Basil. His Hyper Intuition cooled, retreating back. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you Basil."_

The weeks that followed after that had been long and stressful. Basil recovered, but never woke from the coma he had slipped into. Nana filed for divorce and Iemitsu, probably accepting that his little scheme had been blown, disappeared into the wind. Everyone ran themselves ragged, comforting a grieving Nana, supporting Tsuna, research, tracking down Iemitsu and everything and a little bit.

Tsuna had never been more grateful for his friends, his pillar of support.

He turned to his mom. There was another reason why he came here.

"Hey Kaasan? Let me tell you about a kid I found. His name is Giotto-kun, I think you'll really like him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Why Iemitsu is a bastard' or otherwise known as 'why everyone jumped to the conclusion that Giotto was one of Iemitsu's mistakes'.
> 
> Since people are gonna ask. Tsuna's Hyper Intuition never triggered from Giotto's abuse because of multiple reasons and a couple differences between Basil and Giotto. First, despite being hit, Giotto has never been in life threatening danger. In fact, Giotto's mother had a rather weak variation of Hyper Intuition (it never fully woke), and Giotto's Hyper Intuition itself was actually slow to awake. In other words, the first time Giotto got hit, Hyper Intuition didn't warn him. It did the second time and then predicted it the third. Contrast by Tsuna's Hyper Intuition which was so powerful, it awoken by the slightest danger (a certain dog) Tsuna had felt as a child.
> 
> Second, Basil's Hyper Intuition triggered for the first time when his life was in danger. Basil had a happy childhood up until his mother's death. There was never any need for his Hyper Intuition to awaken until he was in wildly in danger. As a result it called out for help in any form, but not allowing for Iemitsu to feel it. A call for blood while ignoring the traitor could be one way to look at it.
> 
> In terms of strength, Tsuna has the strongest Hyper Intuition, then Basil, Giotto, Iemitsu, Enrico, Timoteo, Giotto's mother. (Subject to change due to age and training. Giotto will most likely surpass what Basil would have been as he grows older.)


	21. Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale

20\. Story (Replaces Maps)

"All nice and warm," Tsuna said, tucking Giotto into bed.

"Thank you," Giotto said, drawing the covers tight to chin. "Could you… tell me a story?" he asked tentatively.

Tsuna smiled. "Of course. Why don't I tell you about the story about the Prince and the Soldier?"

Tsuna stretched out on the bed. "Once upon a time, there was a Prince locked in a house for his own safety. There was turmoil in his country and it was too dangerous for him to remain. While the Prince didn't like this, there was very little he could do."

"What kind of person was the Prince?" Giotto asked.

"Well, people said he was very kind with a large heart," Tsuna explained. "He had the nicest smile and loved his people very deeply."

"Then one day, he found an injured soldier in his yard. Taking pity, the Prince brought the Soldier into his home and tended to his wounds. The Prince was lonely you see. In his house, there was no one to keep him company. So when the Soldier woke up, the Prince offered him a place to stay."

"Did he?" Giotto asked.

Tsuna laughed. "Well the Soldier wasn't a very nice person. In fact, he was quite scary. But he didn't have much of a choice. He was too injured to leave so he had no choice but to stay."

"What happened then?"

A soft smile appeared on Tsuna's face. "They fell in love. But the Soldier had a secret. A very important one. He was not a soldier from the Prince's kingdom. In fact, he was from the other side, sent to kill the Prince."

"When the Soldier's allies came, the Soldier had to make a choice. Did he want to stay loyal to his country or stay with the Prince he had fallen in love with? Do you know what he picked?"

"The Prince?" Giotto asked hopeful.

Tsuna nodded. "Yes. But someone let it slip to the Prince that the Soldier was an enemy. Betrayed, the Prince's heart was crushed. He sent the Soldier away, not even listening to the Soldier's pleas."

"Back in the Prince's kingdom, war boiled to all time high. The kingdom called back their beloved Prince to lead them through the war. Heartbroken the Prince returned and to war the Prince marched."

"Meanwhile the Soldier decided he wasn't going to let the Prince go off to battlefield without him. It didn't matter if the Prince hated him or that he was betraying his country, he loved the Prince. He arrived to the battlefield just in time to save the Prince from a fatal attack.

"Why did you come back?" the Prince asked.

"Because I love you." the Soldier replied.

"With Soldier's help, the tide of the battle turned and the war was won. The Soldier promised to never leave the Prince's side. They went on to live happily ever after," Tsuna finished the story.

Giotto yawned. "That's good," he said drowsily.

Tsuna slipped off the bed, running a calm hand through Giotto's hair. He bent down and kissed Giotto on the forehead. "Sleep well Giotto."

"Good -yawn- night."

-Later-

Tsuna laid his head on Reborn's chest, listening to his husband's heartbeat. He purred in contentment, safe and relaxed.

"Your fairytale was severely flawed. You were well aware of my job," Reborn pointed out.

Tsuna turned his head to look up at Reborn. "Mmm," he said. "Kyoya informed me before you even landed in Japan. Imagine my surprise when I found the World's Greatest Hitman in my yard, bleeding and staining the white snow red."

Reborn grumbled. "Lucky shot by one your many bodyguards. I can't believe I was that careless. And you sent me away with some misguided notion that I would choose my job over you," he accused.

Tsuna laughed. "I didn't want you to give up everything, your country, your home, your friends and allies, just for me." It seemed so silly now, to think about it, but love made you do foolish things.

"I would have," Reborn said. "I did."

"And I'm glad you did," Tsuna said softly.

Just as Tsuna was about to slip off into dream world, he heard Reborn grumble about one last thing. "Didn't even cover all the chaos we went through falling in love and all your crazy family members who disapproved."

Tsuna huffed at those words, before falling asleep.

-Elsewhere-

Kyden cursed as he had been thrown out of another bar. What rotten luck his life was! He fished into his pocket for more money, pulling out a few yen coins. Not even enough to buy a drink.

"Takuma Kyden," someone sang his name.

Kyden turned around, scowling. There was a white haired man with purple eyes. A purple tattoo curved under one of his eyes. He smiled guilelessly at Kyden.

"What do you want?" Kyden snapped, stumbling.

"You have a son don't you Takuma-san?" the man said, smiling stretching wider.

He leaned closer to Kyden, whispering into the man's ear. "I'll pay you a hefty sum of money, enough to cover your debt with Hamaguri and more, if you bring him to me. How does that sound…?"

A wicked grin crossed Kyden's face. Finally, the brat would be put to use.

"You have yourself a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo a little bit more about how Tsuna and Reborn met. And duh duh duh, the plot begins to thicken~


	22. Shopping Adventure

Shopping Adventure

5\. Mall

"You're so cute!"

Giotto gasped as the air was forcibly pushed out of him from the strength of the hug. Tsuna's mother had picked him up in a hug, cooing over him.

"Kaasan, you gotta let him breathe," Tsuna said amused.

They were at the mall with Nana. Nana insisted on meeting her (hopefully future) grandson and was determined to spoil Giotto crazy. So the mall, where the toy store and the bookstore could be found, where Nana could buy Giotto whatever his heart's content.

Giotto squirmed out of Nana's grasp, running to hide behind Reborn's legs. Naturally, Reborn didn't care for that. So Giotto found himself lifted by the collar of his jacket and deposited back into Nana's arms. "Reborn-san!"

"I am not your hiding spot," Reborn drawled.

Nana simply hugged Giotto harder.

"I am no longer the youngest!" fifteen year old Lambo proclaimed.

"Hello Giotto-kun," Fuuta said, smiling at the blond haired boy.

"Cute!" I-pin cooed.

"Please don't scare him," Tsuna mused. "Giotto-kun this is my mother and siblings."

"Hello," Giotto said shyly. So this was Tsuna family. This was… overwhelming seemed like a good word. They were a bright bunch, if Giotto had to describe them.

"Why don't we start with something warm to drink?" Nana said. "It's so cold outside. How about some hot chocolate? My treat!"

"Yes, please!" the four siblings chorused together.

"You're too kind, Mamma," Reborn said.

Nana beamed and looked at Giotto still in her arms. "What do you say, Giotto-kun? Some hot chocolate?"

Giotto blinked. Hot chocolate? "Okay."

-Hamaguri Headquarters-

"VOIIIII BOSS! We can't find the shitty scumbag!"

"Shut up trash," Xanxus shouted back, throwing his sake cup at his second in command. Then it registered what exactly Squalo had said. "What the hell do you mean we can't find the shitty scumbag?!"

Squalo grit his teeth. "He was last seen at a bar, talking a white haired man."

Xanxus growled. "Byakuran?"

"Looks like that from the shitty video quality," Squalo said.

Xanxus swore. The thorn in their side was here in Japan. What the fuck was he playing at?! "Get the baby trash on the phone and tell him to watch his brat."

-Mall-

Giotto wandered through the aisles of the bookstore, looking at the festive and holiday themed books. The red and white covers were memorizing. Fondly, Giotto remembered his mother taking him to the bookstore and with what little money that had been saved up, she would buy him a book.

He lost himself in the books, wandering farther away from Tsuna and the rest of the family.

"I knew it. You would show up here eventually."

The warning from Giotto's Hyper Intuition came too late. He turned around just in time to see Kyden snatching him up and pressing a cloth to Giotto's face.

"Tousan," Giotto gasped, struggling. The smell of chloroform finally overpowering him. Just as Giotto's world turn to dark, he heard his father say one last thing.

"You're going to make me a lot of money, you useless piece of shit."

Tsuna's Hyper Intuition triggered just seconds before the text message from Xanxus came in.

_Kyden knows Byakuran. Keep an eye on your brat._

Tsuna drew in a sharp breath and took off, startling of his husband, mother and siblings. He raced through the bookstore, searching through the rolls of the shelves as the feeling of dread grew stronger.

"Giotto-kun? Giotto-kun!"

"Where's the brat?" Reborn asked, catching up to Tsuna.

Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut, fear pounding in his heart. "I think Kyden just kidnapped Giotto. And Byakuran is involved in this somehow."

Reborn scowled. "We'll get him back," he promised.

"Yes, yes, we will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. Poor Giotto can't catch a break can he? We're coming to a close here. owo b


	23. Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue

11\. Red

Giotto yelped, biting his lip in the process and drawing blood. The coppery taste of the red liquid filled his mouth as his body ached. He curled tighter into himself, trying to protect his head and stomach as his father dropped him to the ground.

"Wao~ you work fast, Kyden-san."

"Here's the brat," Kyden spat. "Where's my money?"

Byakuran smiled. Then he pulled out a gun and shot Kyden in the heart. "Thank you for your hard work, Kyden-san."

Giotto stared wide eyed as his father fell to the ground, blood spilling and staining the cold floor a crimson red. He tried to get away as Byakuran bent down to Giotto's eye level.

"Hello, Giotto-kun," Byakuran said. "So you're the cute puppy following Tsunayoshi around. Let's see what Tsunayoshi is willing to give up for you, ne?"

Giotto whimpered. He didn't like where this was going.

-Hamaguri Headquarters-

Tsuna paced as his friends and family worked to find Giotto. His Hyper Intuition was growing stronger, but gave no direction, just the growing sense of dread.

"Phone call," Takeshi said.

The call was answered, switched to speaker mode as Shouichi began to trace the call.

"Hello Tsunayoshi~" Byakuran singsong over the speaker.

"Byakuran," Tsuna hissed. "What are you after?"

"Now, now. Let's play a game, Tsunayoshi," Byakuran said. "I have something you want, and you have something I want!"

"If you harm one hair on Giotto-kun's head-"

"Oh, I already took care of his idiot father who did that," Byakuran said.

Tsuna grit his teeth. Well, at least that meant Kyden was dead. "What do you want Byakuran?"

"Your death," Byakuran said, nonchalantly.

"You bastard!" Hayato roared.

"It's very simple," Byakuran said, ignoring Hayato's outburst. You will come alone to the following location or I will finish what Takuma started and kill the boy. Or well, he's rather young. Perhaps I'll start training him myself. Child soldiers~"

Tsuna saw red at those words. "Don't you dare," he snarled out.

"See you in ten minutes, Tsunayoshi," Byakuran sang.

He hung up.

"Tsuna," Reborn said.

"Don't try to stop me," Tsuna said.

"I don't intend to," Reborn said. "But if you think I'm going to let you go alone, you didn't learn your lesson the last time we fought against Millefiore."

That gave Tsuna some pause and he blushed a brilliant bright red. There was a quiet snicker somewhere in the room (Mukuro!).

"That's different!" Tsuna said.

Reborn raised one of his eyebrows. "No, it's not," he said smugly.

If possible, Tsuna blushed even harder. "F-fine," he said, not meeting his husband's black eyes.

" _Reborn what are you doing here?"_

" _If you think I'm going to let you march into Millefiore's Headquarters by yourself, you really do have swiss cheese for a brain, Dame-Tsuna."  
"But this isn't your fight!" _

" _Your friends are pushovers who can't stop you from doing something idiotic."_

" _What does that mean?!"_

" _Must I spell it out for you, Tsunayoshi? I love you."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha. Tsuna's little fairy tale barely covered anything. -snicker- Help is on the way Giotto!


	24. Tick Tock

Tick Tock

19\. Weapon

"Byakuran-sama, the weapon is ready," Kikyo said with a bow.

"Weapon?" Giotto asked, eyes wide. A dull warning in his head told him that Giotto wasn't going to like it.

"Yes!" Byakuran said gleefully. "There's no need to draw out a long winded fight against Hamaguri. They're actually skilled. No, no, see Giotto-kun, you are bait for a trap. In just seven minutes, you and Tsunayoshi will go boom! Strap him down."

Giotto kicked and struggled as Kikyo strapped a bomb to Giotto's tiny chest. Then Giotto was tied to a chair with even more explosives underneath.

"Bye bye, Giotto-kun," Byakuran said, smiling as he left.

"Byakuran-sama," Kikyo asked as they left the warehouse. "Is this really the wisest move? What if Hamaguri heir doesn't get there in time and it only kills the boy? Or if he gets there early enough to rescue the boy?"

Byakuran smiled. "We'll leave it up to fate Kikyo~. If they survive, it just means we can play with them more. If not, well, that's one less problem. Though with any luck, Tsunayoshi will disregard coming alone and bring his entire inner circle and the bomb will take them all out."

Time Start: 7:00 Minutes

_-6 Minutes, 47 seconds-_

Giotto panicked, pulling at his bonds. He watched with growing horror as the numbers counted down. 6:46, 6:45, 6:44. No, no.

"I don't want to die," Giotto whispered, eyes wide. "Someone help me."

_-5 Minutes, 32 seconds-_

"How much further?" Tsuna asked. He grimaced as he accepted the loaded gun from Reborn. He hated guns, but this time it would be a necessity.

"ETA in three minutes," Hayato said as he drove, weaving down the streets.

_-5 minutes, 01 seconds-_

Tsuna froze as he was checking the gun.

"Tsuna?" Reborn asked, noticing Tsuna's hesitation.

_-4 Minutes, 37 seconds-_

Tsuna's Hyper Intuition roared to life. It felt as if an icy hand had gripped his heart, squeezing his heart tight. He knew this feeling.

It was the same feeling Tsuna had when Basil was in trouble.

_-4 Minutes, 12 seconds-_

"Takeshi, get Ryohei to have the medical team on standby. I want them as close as possible to the site," Tsuna said.

"Got it, Tsuna," Takeshi said from the front seat.

_-3 Minutes, 54 seconds-_

"Tsuna," Reborn said, leaning towards the brunet.

Tsuna buried his face in the crook of Reborn's neck. He took a deep breath, taking the scent of espresso and gunpowder.

"What's wrong?" Reborn asked.

"This feeling," Tsuna said. "It's the same one when we found out about Basil."

"He'll be fine," Reborn reassured.

_-3 Minutes, 10 seconds-_

Tsuna intertwined his hand with Reborn, squeezing it. "I don't know what I'm going to do if Giotto-kun ends up like Basil… or worse," he confessed.

Reborn just squeezed back, silently offering his comfort.

"Senpai said the medical team will set up a block away. They're immobilizing now," Takeshi reported.

"I see the warehouse," Hayato said.

_-2 minutes, 22 Seconds-_

The car skidded to the stop and Tsuna and his Lieutenants rolled out of it. Mukuro, Chrome and Kyoya were taking the back entrance. A quick slash from Takeshi's sword and the chain and lock on the fence fell away.

As silently as they could, they entered the warehouse on high alert. It was a trap, that much was obvious. It was the reason why Tsuna didn't come alone.

_-1 Minute, 49 Seconds-_

Takeshi and Hayato headed to the right, while Tsuna and Reborn continued to the left. Tsuna made swift work of the door, picking the lock.

"Help!"

Tsuna and Reborn shared a look. That was Giotto's voice. They entered the room as quietly as they could, unsure of where Millefiore was.

They inched toward Giotto's voice.

"Tsuna-san! Reborn-san" Giotto cried out.

_-1 Minute, 17 Seconds-_

"Giotto-kun are you alright?!" Tsuna asked, dropping his gun and holstering it.

"They strapped a bomb to me!" Giotto cried out. "They're trying to kill you with the bomb!"

Tsuna's eyes widened before they flashed orange. He pulled a knife from his pocket and worked through the ropes around Giotto's hands and legs. In the background, Reborn was already issuing orders to have the Lieutenants retreat and to evacuate anyone they found.

_-59 Seconds-_

Tsuna stared at the bomb, desperately trying to figure out how to disarm the bomb.

"I don't recognize this setup," Tsuna said in dismay.

_-45 Seconds-_

Reborn grimaced. "I don't either. Byakuran must have made this one special."

"What does that mean!" Giotto said.

_-39 Seconds-_

"Don't panic Giotto-kun," Tsuna reassured. "We'll get you free."

His Hyper Intuition nudged him to the seams of the bomb vest instead. Jaw set in determination, Tsuna held the knife and began to cut at the seams of the bomb vest.

_-24 Seconds-_

"Reborn get ready to grab Giotto-kun," Tsuna said.

Reborn didn't question it, holstered his gun and ran a soothing hand through Giotto's hair.

_-17 Seconds-_

"Hold still, Giotto-kun," Tsuna said. Tsuna carefully cut the vest seams, careful not to touch the bomb itself. The last thing they needed was to trigger any possible deadman switch. Hyper Intuition guided his hands. A bead of sweat rolled down Tsuna's forehead as he concentrated.

_-10 Seconds-_

"That's my brave boy," Tsuna whispered softly. Giotto was holding as still as he could.

_-5-_

Tsuna peeled away the vest and Reborn swept Giotto up into his arms. Giotto clung to Reborn tightly and shut his eyes.

_-4-_

Tsuna pivoted away, running towards the door with Reborn.

_-3-_

The door was just twenty feet away when Tsuna felt Giotto shoved into his arms and they were both being flung towards the door.

_-2-_

Tsuna flew out of the door, cradling Giotto. He skidded across the snowy ground.

"Reborn!"

_-1-_

Boom!

The entire warehouse was engulfed fire and smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> duh duh duh. One more chapter to go! BTW any of you guys pokemon and artbook loves? One of my projects with my friends was a pokemon fanzine. You can preorder our zine [here](seiartsu.storenvy.com)


	25. Wonder What's Inside

Wonder What's Inside

25\. Home

Tsuna rocked Giotto gently. Giotto clung to him like a stubborn burr, refusing to let out. Both were covered with bandages. Tiredly, Tsuna hummed a soft lullaby as he comforted Giotto. They were at Ryohei's hospital ward/house. Tsuna steadily ignored the surgery light on and refused to think about the scorching heat of the explosion and the dull ringing of Hyper Intuition.

Reborn… Reborn would be okay.

"You're safe Giotto-kun," Tsuna reassured the boy.

"Why did this happen?" Giotto asked.

Tsuna hesitated. He supposed now would be as good as a time to explain Hamaguri to Giotto. Giotto was a smart kid.

"Do you know what yakuza are, Giotto-kun?" Tsuna asked.

"Bad people," Giotto said. "Scary people."

Tsuna felt his heart tightened at Giotto's words. "Yeah, some of them are," he agreed. It was simply the nature of the yakuza. "I'm part of a yakuza group, Giotto-kun. So is Reborn and most of my friends."

Giotto pulled away from Tsuna's neck to look at him. His blue eyes turned orange glazing at Tsuna's own orange tinted ones. There was no fear in Giotto's eyes, just a quiet calculation, a weight of words.

Then the orange was gone and Giotto half whined, "But you're nice Tsuna-san."

Tsuna chuckled. "Thank you, Giotto-kun. I'm inheriting the group from my ojiisan." His expression grew grim. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say Giotto-kun is that the reason why you got kidnapped was because the man that took you, Byakuran, he doesn't like me very much."

Giotto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But you're nice!" he repeated.

"Doesn't change that I'm part of the yakuza," Tsuna gently corrected.

Giotto looked pensive at Tsuna's words. Tsuna hesitated at the next part.

"What that means if you still want to stay with us, if you still want me and Reborn to adopt you, it means you might end up in more situations like that… because… because if I adopt you, that makes you my heir. Which means one day you'll be yakuza too," Tsuna explained.

"But I get to stay with you and Reborn-san?" Giotto asked, a little hopeful.

Tsuna nodded. "Yes, but Hamaguri is still yakuza, Giotto-kun. Sure, we don't deal with some of the darker aspect of the underworld, but you may have to fight one day Giotto-kun. You'll probably get kidnapped again as my heir. One day you have to kill someone. People will seek to use you to get to me or Reborn." He didn't want to scare Giotto, but he had to understand the weight of choosing to stay with Reborn and Tsuna.

Giotto fell silent. The orange glow of Hyper Intuition lit in his eyes, weighing the pros and cons.

"Tsuna."

Tsuna turned to see Ryohei had exited from the operating room. "Oniisan?" Tsuna asked.

Ryohei beamed and gave him a thumbs up. "Reborn will be fine!"

Tsuna let out a breath of relief. He was not going to become a widow today. "Can we see him?"

Ryohei nodded. "Yes. He may be a little out of it, but he should wake up soon."

Tsuna glided over to room Ryohei had pointed out to him. Reborn laid on the bed, still. The last of Tsuna's Hyper Intuition fell away, content that Reborn was safe. Giotto squirmed out of Tsuna's grasp, flopping onto Reborn's bed and reaching out with his tiny to touch Reborn's face. It was probably to reassure him that Reborn was okay. Tsuna couldn't blame him. What Reborn did was heroically stupid (and Tsuna was not going to let him live that down for a long time. He would like his husband in one piece and alive, dammit.)

Tsuna took a seat, slipping his hand into Reborn's and squeezing tight. Giotto wasn't the only one that could use some reassurance that Reborn was alright.

"Brat. You better not being touching my sideburns."

Giotto froze, tiny hands just about to tug at said curly sideburns. "No, Papa," he said.

Tsuna snapped his head towards Giotto; calmly noting the surprise that was on Reborn's face. Giotto hadn't just said…? Surely his ears must be playing tricks on him.

Reborn glared at his husband. "Have I been unconscious that long that you decided to adopt the brat without me?" he asked, sulking.

"I didn't do that!" Tsuna protested. "I just told him about Hamaguri."

"Touchan is yakuza," Giotto said sagely, nodding. "So is Papa."

"I am a hitman," Reborn said.

"Same thing," Tsuna said.

"No, it's not."

Tsuna ignored that. "Giotto-kun does that mean you want to be adopted by us? You do understand that you might be in danger all the time?"

Giotto nodded. "Yes." Then he smiled. "When can we go home?"

-6 Years Later-

Twelve years old Giotto looked at his sleeping parents. He grinned, not unlike a certain sadistic papa. This was the first time he managed to sneak into his parents' bedroom. Both of them were hyper aware (Hyper Intuition was a pain to evade), but this time, Giotto managed to get into the bedroom without waking them!

He had readied a bucket of cold snow that would be just perfect. (Revenge on a certain sadistic papa).

He had just lifted it above his head when…

"Don't even think about it, brat."

"It's too early to be up, Giotto."

Giotto scowled, having been foiled. "But Papa, Touchan," he whined. "It's snowing outside."

"You're old enough to go outside by yourself," Reborn said, cracking open one eye.

Giotto was old enough. But that wasn't the only reason why he had woke his parents up. But before he could say anything, a loud crash could be heard.

"Kufufu, the puppy made a mess."

"Mukuro-nii…"

"HOW DARE YOU BREAK JYUUDAIME'S PLATES."

"VOIIIII YOU SHITTY BRAT WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

"THIS LOOKS EXTREMELY FUN!"

"SHUT UP TRASH!"

"Maa, maa guys. You're gonna wake up Reborn and Tsuna."

"You're all too noisy. I will bite you to death."

Tsuna buried his head in his pillow. Voice muffled, he asked, "Giotto, my favorite and only child. Please tell me you didn't let the entire family into the house this early in the morning."

Giotto smiled innocently. "I only let Xanxus-jii in."

"They're here before coffee," Reborn growled.

Gleefully, Giotto watched as his papa rolled out of bed, armed with a gun and stalked outside. The sound of gunshots soon joined the sound of fighting outside. Tsuna resignedly sighed. He slowly got out of bed.

"Let's go stop them before the blood gets on our floor, ne Giotto?" Tsuna said.

Giotto beamed. "Of course, Touchan," he said, following Tsuna out into the living room.

He fondly looked out the scene of chaos that he learned to call home over the last six years. There were times where Giotto had wondered, wondered how exactly he ended up here, wondered where his sanity went over the years, wondered what he did to deserve such a loving family to call his own. Things were crazy and chaotic. Hamaguri was still going strong and being a criminal didn't really faze Giotto. His family was by no means normal (gunshots, fighting and yelling insults at each other had all become norm.) There was no other way than to describe Giotto's life but insane. And Giotto wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

Giotto had finally come home.

_Wonder if what's inside, really been there all the time._

_Wonder if it's wonder in my heart._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! Thank you guys for reading this advent story with me. Thank you for all the support you guys have given me. -bows-
> 
> Commenter, keep an eye on your comments! One of you is the lucky winner! Just a small thank you for leaving a comment.
> 
> Happy Holidays.


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